Varna's budget for 2008 will hit 225.3 million leva, the Black Sea city councillors voted on March 19, Dnevnik daily said. It is Varna's highest annual budget ever, 25.3 million leva more than in 2007. 

Eleven councillors all from the right-wing parties in the city council voted against the budget numbers while 34 supported it. The opposition councillors explained their vote, saying the budget was a budget of the status quo and was not going to change anything.

Of the 225.3 million leva, a total of 161 million will come from the income accumulated by the municipality and the rest 64 will be allocated by the state. 

According to the city council, education will be the sector that will see the largest share of the money - 64 million leva. Second is urban planning with 50 million leva.

Varna is the third largest city in Bulgaria, as well as one of the fastest growing ones. It has a population of roughly 357 000 people, which reaches a million during the summer months because of the tourist inflow.

First, in terms of both size and economy, is capital Sofia with a budget for 2008 of 892 million leva and a population reaching almost two million. Second, according to the statistics is Plovdiv with a population of about 370 000 and a budget for 2008 set at 200 million leva.